Pull on your brightest trainers, Glasgow — Yardworks is back, and the city's most colourful weekend of the year is shaping up to be the biggest yet.

The festival returns to SWG3 on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 May 2026 for a special 10th anniversary edition, with more than 120 artists from around the world descending on the Eastvale Place yard to turn bare walls into two days of live, large-scale spectacle.

A working canvas on the Clyde

If you've never been, picture this: a stretch of freshly-painted black wall at breakfast, a fully-realised mural by teatime, and the faint hiss of spray cans soundtracking the whole thing. SWG3's industrial yard becomes a working canvas, and you wander between the artists as they build up layer after layer in front of you.

This year's line-up is a properly international affair. Headlining the murals are PEACHZZ, recently ranked among the world's leading street artists, and .EPOD, who blends graffiti with fine art and futurism. They're joined by ZURIK's bold WildStyle lettering and WILLIAN's vintage-flavoured character work, with ESKAE and HOACS flying in from the USA, and Nexus and Strapper repping Australia.

Scotland is well covered too, with hometown favourites KMG, Pizzaboy, Molly Hankinson, AROE, SNUB23 and Tizer all on the bill.

Beyond the yard

For the first time, Yardworks is spilling out across the city. Sixteen of the Kingston Bridge pillars will be transformed as the finale of the three-year Yardworks GRID placemaking programme, and the legal wall on the Clyde Walkway between the river and SWG3 is getting another refresh from local artists.

New for 2026, Street Art Cycling Tours depart directly from SWG3, taking you on a guided spin through the Yardworks-led Street Art District in the Glasgow Riverside Innovation District.

Family zone, food and the famous cubes

The Family Zone is free with entry and runs all weekend in the SWG3 Warehouse. Expect spray-can upcycling, T-shirt design stations, Posca doodle walls, Quickblocks building blocks, and the much-loved giant cubes for collaborative decorating. Yardworks is also having another go at the world's longest doodle — last year's attempt was unofficial, so they're going bigger.

For grown-ups, paid workshops include traditional signwriting, Japanese calligraphy, and the very popular Design Your Deck skateboard session (£45). Kids' 30-minute spray sessions are £20.

Street food comes from Wow Burger, Streat Scullery, The Wee Taqueria and pals — bao buns, tacos, loaded fries, churros from Loop and Scoop, and ice cream from Tony's Van. The SWG3 bars will, of course, be open.

The practical bit

  • When: Saturday 2 – Sunday 3 May 2026
  • Where: SWG3, 100 Eastvale Place, Glasgow G3 8QG
  • Tickets: On sale now via swg3.tv — drop in and out as you please
  • Getting there: A 15-minute walk from Partick or Exhibition Centre stations; the 17 bus stops nearby; parking is limited, so the train's your friend
  • Aftermath: Finished murals are free to view 10am–4pm, Monday to Thursday

Ten years in, Yardworks has gone from grassroots gathering to one of Europe's leading urban art festivals — and the best bit is still watching a wall come to life with a pint in your hand. See you there.